Head Start screening victim of federal budget cuts

City program testing fewer children for disabilities

Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) toured the facilities at Schenectady Early Head Start, on bigelow Ave. Friday morning, to highlight the program’s importance for New York children, and stress the need for the federal government to pass a budget that rolls back sequestration-related funding cuts. Tonko also discussed with teachers at Early Head Start the unique needs of the facility and receive an update on how sequestration has affected them.

Federal cuts are now stopping local child care workers from screening some toddlers for developmental delays and disabilities. Automatic across-the-board cuts in funding began this year because Congress could not agree on where to make the cuts needed to address the deficit. At Early Head Start in Schenectady, the cut in funding left the agency without enough money to pay all of its employees. They laid off three workers who fan out to screen at-risk ...

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Funding for Head Start amounts to chump change when compared to defense spending and foreign aid. We need Head Start. Our young families, especially single moms need Head Start. Cutting funding to this wonderfully successful program is just sinful. We should be ashamed of ourselves.